Anything But Happy
by bit boozy
Summary: On the eighth day of their relationship, whatever it is, Ellie has dinner with Alec and Daisy.


It's now been a week since Miller & Hardy became Ellie & Alec. And still nobody knows it but them.

They've been enjoying their privacy immensely. Even the stress of secret-keeping is exhilarating and adds to the thrill of it all. The week has been all about them. They've jumped headfirst into an exploration of each other's wants and needs, both of them unearthing long-buried feelings and desires. They've managed to find each other almost every night for the last seven days, despite the inherent challenges of being single parents, and have fooled everyone at work. Or so they believe, but they try not to think about it too much lest the bubble burst. They have relieved themselves of the pressures to label their relationship, to labor over what it is they are. They have had no one to answer to as yet.

But the truth is, things are so comfortable so quickly between them that sometimes they forget it's a secret. They forget they haven't been together for ages. She comes back to the CID after going out on a particularly stressful call and he reaches out a comforting hand to her without a second thought. Fortunately it appears that no one else has looked up from their work to see it, but they are forced to accept that the easy intimacy they share now will be difficult to keep under wraps for much longer, if only because it pours out of them and feels so natural that they hardly notice it at all.

These moments begin to pile up, and in only seven days they've racked up quite a collection.

Ellie, smiling at him for a little too long while watching him grumpily confer with Dirty Brian outside his office.

Walking past her desk as he does fifty times a day, Alec can hardly keep from touching her shoulder briefly as he moves past.

Out on the steps in front of CID, sharing a bag of chips (he has one, she eats the rest) at lunch, he says something amusing that neither of them remembers later, and she laughs unabashedly, eventually coming to lean her forehead against his shoulder.

Alec, unconsciously bringing his hand to the small of her back as they walk side by side down the hallway.

In the breakroom kitchen they stand side by side against the counter and he surreptitiously reaches for her hand. Their fingers entwine and they stay that way, not looking at each other, until the kettle boils.

Then there's the night the whole team goes out to the pub, and she persuades him to join them because she knows it would be strange if she didn't go, and she refuses to be without him for any great length of time. They end up sitting alone the two of them, a few tables away from the rest. She's dangerously close to reaching for his hand across the table when Dirty Brian approaches them, pint in hand.

"You two always talkin' shop," he says, jovially but with a pointed stare.

"You know us," Ellie replies with a nervous chuckle. "Can't turn it off."

"Buy you one, Ellie?" Brian asks.

Alec frowns, hand tightly gripping his pint glass, and Ellie goes beet red.

"Think 'm all right," she says coolly. "Bit knackered, to be honest."

"Right, next time then," Brian says, walking back to the rest of the team, unperturbed.

Alec takes her home that night and snogs her possessively outside her front door for what feels like an hour before finally letting her go inside.

And so it goes.

On the eighth day of their relationship, whatever it is, Ellie has dinner with Alec and Daisy. It happens quite by accident. They'd been working at his (truly working, honest) when Daisy had gotten home from school. She hadn't thought anything of it – certainly this wasn't the first time she'd found them working in the sitting room, god knows how many cups of tea in. Daisy disappears into the kitchen, and they all but forget about her until she pops her head in again.

"Tea's on," she says proudly.

They both look up, confused.

"What? I cooked," she explains. "Chicken breast, rice, and a vegetable medley."

They continue to stare at her blankly.

"Oh come on then!"

Alec and Ellie follow her into the kitchen, where she has set the table for three and laid out the supper she has so generously prepared.

"Daiz, I'm impressed," Alec says, taking a seat.

"Well done, Daisy," Ellie agrees. "Are you sure there's enough, I can…"

"Course there is!"

Daisy sits once Ellie sits, and for a few moments they eat in silence. Soon Daisy can't take it anymore.

"Sooo….."

Alec and Ellie both look at her. "So, what?" Alec says.

"So wouldn't it be easier if you just came out with it?" Daisy has put her fork down now and looks from one to the other. "I'm sixteen now, I can handle it."

Silence. Daisy sighs.

"I get that maybe shaggin' in secret is part of the fun but – "

"Daisy!" Alec exclaims unhappily.

Ellie is staring at her plate, blushing all the way down to her chest.

"Don't be daft, Dad, you two are not exactly MI:6," Daisy says with a roll of her eyes. "I've known for months now."

Ellie looks up sharply, Alec opens and closes his mouth once or twice in succession.

"I….Daiz, we – we haven't…"

"It's only been a bloody week!" Ellie exclaims before she can filter herself.

Alec looks at her, exasperated.

"I KNEW IT!" Daisy all but jumps out of her seat.

Alec's head drops into his hands and Ellie bursts into laughter.

"Fuck's sake," Alec grumbles into his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Daisy," Ellie says, reaching out to touch Daisy's arm. "We didn't want to say anything until we knew what we were doing. To be fair to you."

"Uh, 's pretty clear what you're doing," Daisy responds dubiously.

Ellie doesn't have to look at Alec to know he's dying a little inside.

"It's a strange thing," she says, fully focused on Daisy. "To go from partners to friends to…whatever we are now. We just needed some time, in our own little bubble, to…work it out."

Daisy is listening intently, but starts pushing her food around her plate with her fork, just slightly uncomfortable. "And have you?"

Ellie looks at Alec, who finally lifts his face from his hands. He gives her the tiniest smile, and she sees that he too is blushing a little. "We're very happy," Ellie says, determined to be as honest with the sixteen-year-old as possible. "Happier than either of us have been in…"

"A long time," Alec continues, now finally looking at his daughter.

"And that's enough for now," Ellie finishes with a nod.

They both move their gaze from Daisy to each other.

"Right, then," Daisy says with a shrug. "Just be open about it then, will you. I don't mind. Rather see you happy than watch you try to hide it. Badly, I might add."

Alec is clearly moved by his daughter's maturity, and Ellie is moved by how moved he is.

"Deal," he says, squeezing Daisy's free hand. "Thanks, darlin'."

Ellie blinks back tears. Seeing Alec Hardy as a parent is something she still hasn't quite gotten used to. "Let's still keep it between us though, yeah?" She says to Daisy. "While we figure out how to…come clean, as you say."

"All right, yeah," Daisy agrees. "But in this house, you're Alec and Ellie, eh? Hardy and Miller are so sodding boring."

They both laugh at that. "Right you are, love," Alec agrees.

Daisy starts to gather her plate and utensils. "Now that's sorted, can I finish eating in my room? Mum wants to Skype at 7."

"Fine, yeah," he says, and then suddenly: "Don't you dare tell her!"

Daisy heads for the door with her plate. "Bloody hell, Dad, she already knows! She thought you were shaggin' years ago."

With that, Daisy exits. Ellie dissolves into a fit of laughter. When she sees that he is pouting, she moves into Daisy's empty chair to sit beside him. "Oh, come on, if you can't laugh, what can you do?"

He rubs his temple and exhales dramatically. She lays a hand on his knee.

"You've got quite a girl there," Ellie says with a warm smile.

He looks at her, a smile now creeping across his own face. "That I have."

She pulls the chair in even closer to him. "It'll be quite lovely, won't it? To have a place where we don't have to hide."

He leans forward, a hand to her chin drawing her in, and kisses her softly.

"I rather like being Ellie and Alec," she whispers against his lips.

He slips an arm around her waist and pulls her onto his lap. Her arms slip around his neck as she kisses him, gently and then more insistently. He's got one hand around her waist and one cupping her arse as he leans into the kiss with fervor.

"Oi!"

Daisy's shrill exclamation pierces the air as she pops into the doorway to the kitchen. They break apart, but there isn't enough time for her to get off his lap.

"I leave the room for two ruddy minutes!" She grabs the glass of water she'd left on the table. "I dunno who you two were kiddin'."

With that, she's gone again. Ellie laughs heartily, burying her face in his hair, and he surprises himself by laughing too. She kisses his cheek, his nose, the corner of his mouth.

"God, you're irresistible when you actually laugh," she murmurs. "So unfair."

He lurches forward, nearly pushing her off his lap, then catches her firm in his arms, smirking smarmily. She lets out a squeal and grasps onto his neck, throwing her head back with laughter. He holds her tight against him, grinning.

"Cheeky bastard," she says, holding his face in one hand like she's scolding a child. Then she kisses his lips.

It's a deep kiss, and it encourages him to untuck her blouse and slip his hand underneath is. She stops it with hers before it reaches its destination and pulls her lips away.

"Mm, no, I need to see the boys off to bed tonight," she mumbles. "Missed it last night."

Much as he'd like to argue with that, he can't bring himself to. "All right."

"We'll have to tell them soon as well."

He nods, giving her one last kiss before she hops off his lap. "What should we call ourselves?" He asks, a bit reluctantly.

"Like I said before," she replies, straightening herself out. "I don't think we need to call ourselves anything but happy for now."

"Right." He stands up to meet her gaze.

"Night then."

He pulls her into a hug, planting a kiss on her collarbone. She smiles against his chest.

Hard to believe it's only been a week.


End file.
